The first and foremost strategy for dealing with new and emerging invasive
plants is early detection and reporting of incipient infestations. To do this,
the nation will need to develop a framework for delivering reliable and timely
reports of new invasions (at various geographic scales) to appropriate officials
for rapid assessment. The specific charge of this working group was to
conceptualize and outline a coordinated local/state/national interagency
framework to:

Encourage early detection of new plant species throughout the United
States,

Provide a mechanism for prompt reporting, identification, vouchering,
and official notification of appropriate officials when new a state and/or
national plant record is confirmed by a recognized specialist,

Provide a coordinated local, state, national, and international
framework that will enhance interagency cooperation in detecting and
responding to new plant invasions in a timely manner,

Trigger a rapid assessment of a confirmed new species by designated
specialists in cooperation with appropriate local, state, and national
agencies and organizations.

In general, the proposed system should address invasive plants in all
landscapes (e.g., crop lands, range lands, wild lands, natural areas, urban and
suburban areas), utilizing existing infrastructures where possible. The success
of the system depends on the support and assistance of many individuals and
groups that are likely to observe new invasive plants, such as trade and
professional organizations, plant field scientists, herbaria staff, farmers, and
gardeners. In addition, to be effective, information must flow into and from the
system through multiple channels and at multiple levels. All reports should be
encouraged, evaluated, and acknowledged by a designated state level network
coordinator with ready access to specialists for accurate identification. All
new county, state, and national records should be maintained in a web based,
distributive information management system that is readily accessible by the
public. In short, the ability of officials to mount a timely response to a new
invader depends entirely on knowing that it exists. Top

II. GROUP DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS.

State Early Detection Coordinator. The first step in establishing a
State Early Detection System for Invasive Plants would be for the State Invasive
Species Council to designate a State Early Detection Coordinator. The
Coordinator (a botanist or weed specialist from a college, university, or other
public agency) would have a primary role in developing the State Early Detection
Network. The Coordinator would work with the National Early Warning Coordinator
and other State Early Detection Coordinators to arrange for state and regional
herbaria to serve as repositories for voucher specimens (ideally, the State
Early Detection Coordinator would be affiliated with at a cooperating herbarium).
The State Early Detection Coordinator would interact with the scientific and
professional communities as well as many other interested groups. In some cases,
this person may be outside the state and function in a regional capacity with a
multiple state responsibility (e.g., New England). Likewise, in some instances,
in large states, local level coordinators (below the state level) may be needed.
Such local coordinators would cooperate with the State Early Detection
Coordinator. State Early Detection Coordinators would encourage interagency
cooperation and participation by acting as a nexus for information. The state
coordinator would have the ability to accept data from various groups such as
schools, scouts, and etc., and would recognize/encourage their participation and
contributions to the early detection effort. Top

State Early Detection Network. Within each state, the proposed system
would utilize existing survey networks whenever possible (heritage programs,
county extension agents, native plant societies, weed science societies,
rangers, herbaria etc.), but could improve their effectiveness for early
detection through training, providing reference material, etc. Private land
owners should also be extensively involved with the early detection effort.
Since many land owners live on their land, they are often the first to notice a
new invader that appears in a community. Therefore, landowners need to be
encouraged to report new or suspected through the state early detection network.
Property owners are much more likely to become willing participants and system
advocates if their concerns about private property rights, owner notification,
and access permission are taken into account. Another idea for improving early
detection is to develop a volunteer cadre of certified parataxonomists within
each state to assist the State Early Detection Coordinator in developing and
operating the network. This will significantly increase the likelihood that new
species will be detected and will further encourage public participation in the
process. Top

Cooperating Regional Herbaria. At the regional level, cooperating
regional herbaria should work with their colleagues at the state level in
developing state early detection networks in every state within the region. The
regional herbaria would also serve as liaisons with the academic community, the
Flora of North America project, professional taxonomists, and parataxonomists.
They could also offer training and assist in identification and verification, as
well as serve as conduits for providing information to national and
international databases. Top

Target Species. The proposed National Early Detection System should
focus primarily on detection of new county, state, and national records of
vascular and non-vascular plants in the United States. The documented flora of
the U.S., as provided in the USDA
NRCS Plants Database
will serve as a baseline of information for determining whether a reported
species is a newly introduced plant or native plant that is new to the area.
Top

Priority Areas for Survey and Early Detection. All modes of spread,
including human, biotic, and abiotic pathways, are important in the short and
long distance movement of plants. However, since invasive plants often have very
high reproductive capacities, plant collectors should focus on sites where
invasive plants are most likely to become established and spread. Some of these
sites include natural areas such as floodplains, valuable areas with high
biological diversity, and vulnerable areas (fragile ecosystems etc.); as well as
disturbed areas, botanical gardens, and man made corridors such as highways,
railroads, and powerline rights of ways. Disturbed areas, which are particularly
important in producing large quantities of seed, often serve as reservoirs for
further long distance spread by human activities. Top

Survey and Detection Methods. In conducting their early detection
programs, State Early Detection Coordinators should use both systematic
(planned survey of target species or priority sites) and opportunistic
surveys (botanists on vacation, trappers, fisherpeople, game wardens, etc.)
depending on the costs, benefits, and availability of trained personnel in
particular situations. Often, an opportunistic survey may trigger a systematic
survey. Systematic ground based surveys include detection surveys
(surveys of potential high risk sites), delimiting surveys (surveys to
determine the extent of an infestation), and appraisal surveys
(post-treatment surveys to determine the effectiveness of control efforts).
Survey methods that have proven effective in past weed eradication programs
include traditional walking surveys of a designated area, and riding
surveys on four-wheeled ATVs, on horseback, or on truck or tractor mounted
survey platforms. Canine survey (survey with trained dogs) is another
type of survey that holds promise in this area. Remote sensing through
aerial or satellite imagery includes an increasing range of technologies that
help land managers to pinpoint new infestations that have not been previously
detected through ground survey and operations. Top

Collection Methods & Protocols. The main objective of the Early
Detection System is to collect plant species that are new to a county, state, or
the nation. In doing so, collectors should use standard plant collection and
preparation methods. Voucher specimens should be collected for positive
identification and as a permanent record. If the population is large, the
collector should take enough plant materials for regional repositories, state
herbaria, specialists, and network exchange. If just a few individuals are
available, collection should be deferred until identification is certain to help
avoid accidentally collecting rare species. Observational reports, photos, and
digital images are also important, but often require on site follow-up. Top

Submitting an Initial Field Occurrence Observation - (Level I – Field
Reporting). Once a suspected new plant has been observed and collected
in the field, the population should be reported to proper authorities to ensure
that all confirmed county, state, and national records are properly addressed. New
species that go unreported cannot be addressed. The first step in the
reporting process is to submit a voucher specimen from the observed population
to the designated State Botanist for identification and processing. A primary
goal of the National Early Warning System is to create a strong link between
plant collectors, and taxonomists, and agencies that are in a position to
address confirmed problems.

Because we expect observations by a wide variety of persons from professional
botanists to backyard gardeners, the system must have minimal but flexible
reporting requirements. However, a standard Field Reporting Form should
be developed to ensure that appropriate information is gathered at the time of
collection including:

Ultimately, standard protocols for plant collection and vouchering must be
developed and made available both in hard and soft copies. Such information
could be posted on the National Early Warning Website by the National Early
Warning Coordinator. Top

Processing an Occurrence Observation Report (Level II - Verification &
Determination of Significance). To be effective, the National Early
Detection Network must maintain high visibility and have clear reporting
directions and continual feedback mechanisms. Although reports could enter the
system at any point, from any source, they would be routed through a designated
State Early Detection Coordinator for processing by a cooperating herbarium.

Once a cooperating herbarium receives a suspected new plant specimen, the
staff would follow a standard procedure for handling new species until the
report is determined to be insignificant (not a county, state, or national
record). This is especially important in handling certain regulated species,
parasitic plants, and other taxa with small seeds that pose a significant risk
of being further spread.

Upon receipt, the specimen should be identified (utilizing distant taxonomic
support if necessary), its significance determined (county, state, or national
record?), permanent voucher specimens prepared and distributed to appropriate
repositories, and proper authorities notified in coordination with the State
Invasive Species Council. The collector should receive prompt feedback to
acknowledge the report and actions to be taken. If requested, steps should be
taken to ensure that the collector receives academic credit for the new record.
Acknowledging the plant collector in all subsequent official reports should take
care of this need. A program newsletter (electronic and hard copy) might solve
this issue and serve a number of other needs and functions. Finally, confirmed
new county, state, and national records should be entered into a distributive,
web based information management system for invasive species, as a new addition
to the baseline information on the flora of North America. Top

Taxonomic Support. Since a primary objective of the national system
is to detect new populations of introduced plants, the support of botanists
throughout the country, and a network of participating herbaria is needed. In
this regard, it will be important for the National Early Warning System to
become associated with the Flora of North America project which maintains list
of taxonomic specialists. The National Early Warning Coordinator should develop
and maintain a list of knowledgeable plant taxonomists who may be network
participants

To be effective, the early warning system will require broad participation
from the taxonomic community to: support existing herbaria, produce current,
affordable manuals and weed identification guides, conduct research on invasive
species biology and systematics, train parataxonomists, maintain nomenclatural
and distributional standards [including a uniform code for scientific names,
i.e., through the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)], maintain a
controlled vocabulary, exchange specimens of highly invasive species so each
regional network herbarium will have identification material available, support
mentoring by training students as future invasive species field biologists
(herbaria could offer student stipends as incentives for involvement), and to
participate in invasive species symposia, courses, colloquia, etc.

Taxonomists could support the Early Warning System in other ways as well.
Other possibilities include creation of an "Ask a Taxonomist" website,
a toll free number for questions about new plants; development of a web based
photo gallery of important invasive plants, as well as production and
dissemination of electronic keys, polyclaves, and other identification aids.
Top

Information Sources for Identifying Potential Invaders. There are
many sources to help identify new and emerging invasive species. Some of these
include lists of regulated noxious weeds (county, state, federal), horticultural
and seed trade catalogs and databases, websites that sell plants, The Germplasm
Information Network (GRIN) (USDA, Agricultural Research Service), American
Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA), aquarium trade databases
and catalogs, land management agency publications, and international partners
(e.g., New Zealand and Australia; and the web based Global
Early Warning System maintained by the Invasive Species Specialist
Group of the World Conservation Union.

Broad Information Sharing about New Invasive Plants. To engage
appropriate stakeholders, information on confirmed new invaders must flow to and
from various (and numerous!) repositories. Some of these repositories
include:

Appoint a National Early Warning System Coordinator. Developing an
effective National Early Warning and Rapid Response System for Invasive
Plants will require a fulltime, energetic coordinator to bring together the
various groups needed to make this concept a reality.

Designate a State Early Detection Coordinator in each participating state.

Develop standards for early detection and protocols for reporting.

Establish a pilot Early Detection Program in a few key states.

Establish a network of cooperating regional herbaria to assist in
development of state early detection networks and to serve a conduit for
information into regional and national databases..

Establish a distributed web-based information network for invasive plants.
It is critical to establish a ‘one stop shopping’ gateway for
access to all of the websites that contain information about invasive
plants.

Promote early detection and reporting. Public understanding of the need
for prevention through early detection and rapid response is critical.

Develop methods for quality assurance and quality control for all aspects
of the system and the data entered into it.

The system should use existing infrastructures at all levels where
possible (e.g., county agents, heritage network, native plant societies,
weeds science societies, rangers, herbaria).